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1966 El Camino Restoration: Front Suspension and Brakes A 1966 El Camino begins its journey into the 21st century with some custom resoration and tricked out mods. From "Resto Rides" episode DRRD-101

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	Removing the engine
	The front end, engine and clip removed
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

Front Suspension and Front Brakes Conversion

Andrew and Christie begin by removing the front clip so they can then remove the engine from the car. Once the engine is out, they strip the front suspension and install tubular A-arms coupled with stiffer springs and new front brakes attached. The basic steps are summarized below.

• Remove the existing engine and parts, beginning with the control arms.

• The control arms connect the wheels to the frame, so the first step in removing them is to pull out the cotter pins and start unbolting (figure A).

• Unbolt the ball joints. These might have to be tapped with a hammer until they come loose.

• Next, unbolt the lower control arms from the spindles. In Andrew's case, he ran into some resistance because some parts were rusted. Use a floor jack to support the lower control arm while it's removed because you can never tell how much pressure is on a coil spring.

• After the lower control arms are released the upper assemblies can be removed along with the spindles (figure B).

• The next things to remove are the lower control arms, which connect the wheels and brake assemblies to the frame.

• Now that the lower control arms have been removed, it's a good time to work on the motor mounts (figure C). The motor mounts connect the entire engine to the frame. It's much easier to get to the passenger side motor mount while the suspension is out.

• In this project, the motor mounts need to be swapped so that the new motor will fit the car's frame. If you've done this kind of swap before and still have templates, they can be used again. If not, you need to set the motor in and measure from there.
  

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• While Christie works on the motor mounts, Andrew takes apart the old front disc brakes to remove the steering arm. Remove the dust cap (figures D and E).

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

  	Figure F
  	Figure G
  	Figure H
  	Figure I

• Once the dust cap is off, remove the castle nut that secures the disc (figures F and G). Then the steering arm bolts can be removed.

• The new brakes come assembled to the spindles, so they have to be taken apart so the steering arms can be attached (figure H). Adding the steering arms to the new assembly is just like removing them from the old one, but be sure to push the bearings on after the discs are reinstalled.

• Now that the old suspension is out, you're ready to install the new front suspension. The first step is to bolt in the lighter, tubular lower control arms.

• The fit might be a little tight, so use a plastic hammer to work the first arm into place without damaging the new powder-coated parts. The uppers slide right on to the original mounts (figure I).

• After the control arms are mounted, attach the spindle and brake assembly to the upper arm. The coil spring slides into place and gets turned to lock into the upper mount. Use a floor jack to compress the spring and raise the lower control arm until the ball joint on the lower arm can be installed.

• Repeat the process on the other side.

• Add in the upgraded shocks to complete the front suspension.
  

Click on individual images for a larger view of these steps in the front suspension and brake upgrade.

Mounting block for front brake lines

Front brake lines, installed




Replacing the castle nut

Replacing the castle nut




Reinstalling the brake rotor

Installing the spindle




Tightening steering-arm nut

Upper control arm

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RESOURCES :

Special resources for DIY's Resto Rides 100 series: 1966 El Camino

Original Parts Group, Inc.
www.opgi.com

Husky Tools
www.huskytools.com

Rick's Hot Rod Shop
www.rickshotrodshop.com

Vintage Air, Inc.
www.vintageair.com

Fuel Injection Specialties
www.fuelinjection.com

Lokar
www.lokar.com

K & N Engineering
www.knfilters.com

Nordskog Performance Products
www.nordskogperformance.net